CABIN CREW at Aer Lingus have voted overwhelmingly to take industrial action in a row over the implementation of a controversial €97 million cost-saving plan.
In a ballot cabin crew, who are represented by Impact, backed the action by a margin of 96 per cent to 4 per cent on a turnout of 67 per cent.
The union said yesterday that from August 25th cabin crew would revert to working arrangements which were in place prior to a decision by management to introduce unilateral changes to employment conditions in recent weeks.
The union said its cabin crew members were not going on strike but would work within their existing contracts. It said this would have no effect on services.
This position would not change “unless management escalates the dispute by taking disciplinary action against one or more cabin crew”.
Impact said it was available for talks with the company or the State’s industrial relations bodies.
An arbitration process, chaired by the Labour Relations Commission, on the issue of the implementation of the new cost-saving measures for cabin crew is expected to be finalised towards the end of the month – close to the deadline set by Impact for the beginning of the industrial action.
The row centres on changes introduced in recent weeks by Aer Lingus to rosters and traditional rules governing issues such as time off between flights and break periods.
The company has maintained that such changes were necessary to allow for all cabin crew to be rostered in a way that met a new requirement under the cost-saving programme that they operate 850 flying hours per year.
Aer Lingus sources have said that while some cabin crew currently are working 850 flying hours annually, others are not.
Impact said that in imposing the changes to working time and conditions, the company went far beyond the measures set out in the cost-saving programme.
The union said that cabin crew had accepted the requirement to increase flying hours to 850 per year but had not accepted the changes imposed by management.
It said that the company unilaterally abolished the existing agreed rules on working time and imposed new rosters based on minimum legal protections.
It said that these allowed cabin crew to work 60 hours over a seven-day period, including long shifts without breaks.
The airline said that it welcomed the decision by Impact cabin crew to work to their contracts and in particular the public confirmation that all cabin crew would work to the agreed 850 flight hours per year.
“We continue to be party to the arbitration process. However, we will continue to gradually phase in the agreed productivity levels so that we can realign the cost base of the company and position Aer Lingus for a successful future for the benefit of our staff, our shareholders and the travelling public,” it said.